


In the Interim

by bipolarlilyevans (JackNSallyGal)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Ensemble Cast, F/M, Family Dynamics, Friendship/Love, Grief/Mourning, Not Canon Compliant, Past Character Death, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:00:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27643817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackNSallyGal/pseuds/bipolarlilyevans
Summary: After Vernon Dursley's sudden death, Lily finds herself living under the same roof as her older sister for the first time since they were teenagers.Bills are coming due, Petunia is struggling to keep her head above water, and not least of all infant Dudley all require attention as the family transitions to a new normal.Featuring the small town of Godric's Hollow, our favorite characters, and a romance that is not a romance.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Petunia Evans Dursley & Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	In the Interim

"Six down. 'Tender name could be an example of this.'"

Lily contemplates the clue for a moment, counting the spaces softly to see what might fit.

"Any idea?"

Silence. 

Lily takes a too-soon sip of coffee, relishing the warmth that spreads through her, even as it scolds her tongue while she smooths the newspaper across the kitchen table to give her something to do. 

The morning is bitter cold and dreary with the possibility of snow. Perfect for a luxurious sprawl under as many blankets as possible and a late breakfast. Never a morning person, Lily thinks she could easily blink and nod off right at the kitchen table.

Instead she regards her companion, who is drooling happily over his own fist, and smiles.

"'Endear', Dud. I'll use it in a sentence, hmm? 'I cannot seem to endear myself to waking up early.' Excellent." Lily shakes several Cheerios out of the Tupperware container Petunia provided and scoots them across the expanse of the highchair tabletop so he can mash them with soggy fingers. "I'm counting on you for the next one, alright?"

Two more clues pass before Dudley sits up straighter and fidgets, which Lily either takes as a sign he's engaging with their morning crossword lessons or he's made a mess in his diaper and will need to be tended to sooner than later. 

She errs on the side of caution and cuts the lesson short, folding the paper and putting it aside so she can attend to the task at hand.

She lifts Dudley out of his high chair, murmuring soothing sounds that generally don't work to keep him from crying but make her feel better, bringing him toward her for a sniff, bottom first, just as the front door opens without so much as a knock.

"Am I interrupting?" James is careful to shut the door with less force than he opened it once he catches sight of Dudley, but he can't smother his amusement at finding Lily mid sniff.

"You are." Lily says with a wince, her suspicions confirmed as she settles Dudley on her hip and hurries out of the room for his changing table. "Either you brought breakfast or you're wasting both our time, Potter." 

"First one." James announces, followed by rustling sounds from the kitchen. "Eggs, toast, sausage and mixed fruit."

"Was Mary responsible for this or are you looking to share my bed tonight?" Lily demands, tone faltering on a gag as she chucks the soiled diaper in the trash and begins cleaning Dudley up.

"I forget how feral you can be in the morning." James remarks, coming to stand in the doorway as Lily works swiftly despite Dudley's squirming. 

"I like it." He mentions conversationally, pulling an oversize hat off his head so he can make an even bigger mess of his hair by raking his fingers through it.

"At this stage, I'd tally it as foreplay." Lily agrees, righting Dudley with a smacking kiss on his cheek and carting him back into the kitchen with her so he can work on his cereal pieces in peace while she attempts to eat.

Her nephew settled, Lily drops heavily into her chair, frowning at the lone plate. "You're not staying?" 

"Can't. Need an early start at the pharmacy. Printer needs fixing, shots to give. The works." James grins despite the dark circles beneath his eyes, the ones that seem to match hers lately, and snags a bit of fruit from her plate and popping it into his mouth. "I'm a wanted man."

"You're a fool." Lily informs him, getting to her feet. "Let me try again. Ready?"

"Mhmm." James crosses his arms over his chest, amiable but not making it easy on her.

"Hello. Good morning." She bumps into him, standing on her toes to place a quick kiss on his cheek as his hands settle at her waist. "Thank you. I thought you'd be staying or I might have grouched less."

"Might?"

"Maybe. No promises."

"I was planning to but dad needs the help."

"Tell him hello for me. And thank you again. Really."

James smooths a hand over her hair, graciously ignoring the tangles, with a fond look. "You're welcome. Call if you need anything."

"Okay."

"I mean it."

"So do I!" Lily says defensively. "I'm great at asking for help."

James merely shoots her a look that says otherwise as he steps back, making his way for the door.

"Keep an eye on her, Dud." He orders her nephew sternly, before blowing an obnoxious raspberry and pulling a silly face, which earns him a drooly, fleeting smile before Dudley is back to smashing the contents of his tabletop and gleefully knocking his small feet in a bid for freedom.

* * *

Not so long ago, Petunia Evans Dursley had a plan.

When she was six months pregnant she left her full time nursing job to prepare for the birth of her first child. The nursery was set up, last minute home improvement projects were contracted out and she transitioned to her career as a stay at home mom with relative ease.

Vernon had been promoted a year earlier and between the two of them they'd set aside enough to feel comfortable with the carefully plotted changes in their lives.

She cooked, scheduled appointments, and handled other domestic duties with pleasure and a great deal of pride, all the while tracking the changes in her body. She knew from a clinical level what was happening. But it was something else to see and feel her stomach swell. To catch sight of herself in maternity clothes, looking soft and round and very unlike herself.

She still had the slip of paper with her handwriting and Vernon's, tallying expenses and scribbled dates for goals now checked off, taped in the back of the book she shared with Vernon to keep a close eye on their bills.

The plans had been laid with such care. And swiftly blown to hell before Vernon had a chance to settle into fatherhood, not long after their son's birth.

A freak accident. Brake malfunction in the car behind Vernon's at an intersection, that pushed his stopped car into oncoming traffic. 

It took no time at all for everything to be shaken out of place. Like a house of cards trying to withstand an earthquake.

The details were stark and clear but Petunia hadn't grasped them for days at a time. She still had trouble with them sometimes, months later. 

She had trouble with quite a few things now and resented so much of it being out in the open, for all of their sleepy little town to see or speculate on. 

The great plan of Petunia and Vernon's life did not involve his death and Lily moving into their renovated home. Or Petunia shouldering motherhood and being a widow all at once. With their own mother hovering. And bills coming due, causing sleepless nights.

None of it had gone to plan and broke her heart every single day.

* * *

Like clockwork, Dudley goes down for his first nap without much fuss. He droops while Lily begins filling orders, his nonsensical noises quieting as she measures and mixes the batter that will become the Prewett wedding cake, a simple traditional white as requested. By the time she slides the cake pan into the heated oven, Dudley is struggling to keep his eyes open and grumpy about it.

"Here we go. A nice, cozy snooze for you. I'm jealous, frankly." Lily informs him, lifting him and settling the warm, solid weight in her arms. 

Once she reaches the nursery, she switches on the baby monitor and drops a light kiss on the crown of his head, noting the scent of Cheerios and the baby shampoo from his bath the day before.

"See you in a bit. Good dreams only, remember." Lily advises quietly, all but tip toeing from the room. 

Lily starts on her second cup of coffee and forges on, tackling the handful of smaller orders she has left. The first of which is filling chocolate cupcakes, made the day before and chilled in preparation for the peanut butter, raspberry, or lemon fillings.

Next, she assembles Hope Lupin's weekly standing order; a dessert plate for the older woman to take to the book club hosted at Godric's Hollow Public Library. The staples are always Lily's chocolate chunk cookies and cookie dough brownies with a few surprises thrown in every so often to show her appreciation. The dough is chilled and ready, having been prepped in a fit of restlessness the night before, and only needs to be baked alongside the cake.

Everything is cooling or chilled and ready to be packaged by the time Dudley stirs, wriggling and having his own one sided conversation with the baby monitor.

"Good morning, kid. Welcome back to the waking world. We've missed you." Lily greets him.

There's a routine among the chaos. Days stretch out before her when she wakes and rush by in a series of smiles, diapers, and cries. 

Rising with the sun, caring for her nephew and bringing in what money she can with her now sidelined business. Finding time for meals, walks now and then in the cold, James, her other friends. It's an off kilter balancing act and the effort to stay sane in this new role, for her sake as well as her family, requires constant effort.

Petunia, Lily knows in an up close and personal way, isn't faring so well.

As if on cue, Lily's phone chimes, as if her mother can see the goings on in the house and has timed her phone call perfectly.

"Dudley and Lily bakery, this is Lily." Lily answers the phone with her bright customer service voice, earning a huffed laugh from her mom.

"Things are going that well, hmm? Is my grandson working out as your assistant?"

"He's doing okay." Lily replies, sinking into the couch with Dudley inspecting an array of toys on the floor, on the verge of mastering sitting up on his own for longer periods each day. "When he isn't messing his diaper and napping he's a model employee."

"Cute." Ann Marie remarks, soft and fond before getting down to business. "Your sister's in her room. Having a nap before we get lunch."

"How is she today?"

"Quiet." Her mother reports with a lengthy pause. "Could you text her photos of Dudley? She's missing him too much to relax."

"Sure, I'll snap a few when we're done." 

"Thank you. It's hard for her being away."

"I know. But she needs it." Lily says, echoing what they've already talked about so many times. "Has she been sleeping at night at least?"

"Yes, finally last night. She had a few good hours and then she's up."

"Better than she was managing here."

"And you?" Ann Marie inquires. The same concern warms her tone. "How is my Lily bug handling things? If you need me to take the baby I will, gladly."

"You look out for Petunia, mom. Dudley and I will be just fine for a few days more." She watches the baby in question as he pokes at an interactive turtle puzzle, seemingly enchanted by the swirls of color with no interest in putting it together or taking it apart. "I'm dropping him at Molly's so I can make deliveries tonight. Just for an hour or so. Petunia cleared it already."

"Good. You need breaks as well. Speaking of…" 

Lily did not care for the clear amusement in her mother's tone.

"I received an interesting Facebook message from Mrs. Edgecombe yesterday morning." 

Lily can tell her mother is smiling into her phone and cannot help but groan even as she's desperate to know more.

"What did neighborhood watch want now?"

"She noticed that James Potter's car was parked outside your sister's house and wondered if it had broken down." Ann Marie adopts an innocent tone as she continues, "Since it was there all night." 

"The woman is a monster."

"She was being a good neighbor, checking in on things." Her mother says mildly.

"Attempting to tattle." Lily corrects her. "I'll have to put a sign in the front lawn, making sure everyone knows he isn't being held hostage." 

"Oh, yes. The homeowners association would be thrilled."

"And Petunia." Lily huffs, lifting Dudley before he can faceplant while reaching for the edge of the coffee table. "Since she's already such a fan of his."

"That is a topic for another day. Your sister's up and about which means it's time for lunch."

"Tell her everything's going well here. And I'll see her in a few days." 

"I will. Give Dudley a kiss for me. And I love you, my girl. Call if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay, yeah. Love you, too." 

Lily hangs up, letting her phone drop and slip into the crevice of a couch cushion as she regards Dudley. He's temporarily occupied, light head bent to study the couch pattern. 

Lily envies his ignorance. All he knows are meals and naps and wanting to be warm and held or played with. He'll have his lunch and fall asleep to PBS, God willing, without having to concern himself with Petunia's fragile mental health, the bills coming due, or the impossibility of the two sisters living together without wringing each other's necks.

He doesn't know any of it, yet. That he's supposed to have a dad. And his mom isn't supposed to cry this much. That his own aunt Lily isn't sure she can keep this up and be there for all of them the way they need.

And if the three women pull this off, he never will know how hard everything's been.

Dudley beats on the couch cushion with a flailing fist, turning his blue eyes on Lily as if inviting her to take up his game.

For her part, Lily smiles, pulling herself out of her own thoughts by pretending to take a bite out of his chubby arm as he laughs.

Onward with the day. 


End file.
